elmohead

From the producer who brought america films of such high calibre as annie hall,platoon and one flew over the cuckoos nest comes quite tragically one of the worst films i have seen in quite some time. The film was written for an every man who returns home for his surprise b-day party to find a clone has taken his place, his life,his family...sounds good...??what happened..hmmm... instead of casting an everyman like james spader or ethan hawke they cast..ARNIE...which means major re-writes!!! But I think of myself as someone cultured enough to see the worth of a solid action packed arnie film like Total recall, predator or the running man...but this film has no real bite..in fact it has no real anything!The special effects were hallow at best, the acting makes arnies work in Commando look oscar worthy..and worse of all is the feeling that the producers really believed this was an intellectually stimulating work aimed at a more adult market. The director Spottiswoode uses quick cutting to try and speed the pace up of this film so that we wont linger on whats actually going on but to no avail. the director also known for directing the infamous "stop!or my mom will shoot" should have thrown Estelle Getty into the frame for a laugh because no one else in the cast is getting one!If you notice the lack of spoiler warning this is simply because there are no twists to spoil!!The fact that arnie co-produced this shows his faith in the material, perhaps this judgement like his screen persona has finally faded.

Little known character actor James Ashcroft truly electrifies the screen in this New Zealand television adaption of "circus". Along with a steady supporting cast Ashcroft shows what "acting chops" were far before Haley "6th sense "osment ever appeared on the scene. The subtle love story line is perfect for the brooding Ashcroft who comes of as the typical "kiwi" hardman who shows flashes of a soft veneer. Really worth checking out!!!He's one to watch!

This film is one of the tightest most beautiful short films I have seen, as well as being one that truly forces you to think . From an animator who has delivered so many incredible films ,I see this as a true center piece for his constant trials with censorship authorities. Using food itself as a social commentary for poverty and oppression, Jan is able to make us both visually intrigued while still delivering an intellectual point,something rare in todays world of film.